Middle East

Egypt-Lebanon Gas Deal: Israeli Gas at the Heart of the Agreement

Claudia Groeling 12:50 - Reading : 83 minute(s)

Lebanon Benjamin Netanyahu Donald Trump Hezbollah Israel Syria Egypt

Two eastern Mediterranean natural gas deals announced twelve days apart highlight shifting energy dynamics amid dramatic geopolitical transformations in the region, with Lebanon aiming to benefit. On December 17, 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a $35 billion gas deal with Egypt, describing the agreement as ...

$Khamenei Says \$

Khamenei Says "Arrogant" Trump Will be "Overthrown"

This is Beirut 12:35 - Reading : less than a minute

Donald Trump Tehran

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday insisted that the Islamic republic would "not back down" in the face of protesters who he called "vandals" and "saboteurs", in a speech broadcast on state TV. Speaking to supporters in his first comments on the escalating protests since January 3, Khamenei said U.S. President Donald Trump's ...

Syrian President Sharaa Meets With EU Chief von der Leyen: State Media

This is Beirut 11:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Damascus European Union

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Friday, state media said, as she became the highest ranking EU official to visit since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was ousted. After the meeting, Ursula von der Leyen said Europe would do everything possible to assist Syria's recovery and ...

Syrian Government Announces Ceasefire in Aleppo

This is Beirut 09:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Ceasefire Damascus Israel Turkey USA

Syria's defence ministry announced a ceasefire in Aleppo on Friday after days of deadly clashes between the army and Kurdish fighters forced thousands of civilians to flee. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack on Friday welcomed a ceasefire in the city of Aleppo after days of deadly fighting between the army and Kurdish fighters forced thousands of ...

AnalysisIran at the Edge: Uprising, Exhaustion, and the Fate of the Islamic Republic

Salam El Zaatari 08/01 23:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Iran Protests Tehran Donald Trump United States Pezeshkian

Amid growing protests, Iran’s rulers face one of their most dangerous moments since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, with the pillars that have long sustained the regime now visibly cracking. Protests that erupted in late December 2025 over imploded living conditions have evolved into a nationwide revolt against the ruling system itself, fueled by ...

Trump Says US Will Hit Iran 'Very Hard' if Protesters Are Killed

This is Beirut 08/01 22:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump USA

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to take severe action against Iran if its authorities "start killing people" who are protesting in the country, where an economic crisis has led to mounting civil unrest, according to AFP. "I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during ...

Aleppo Clashes Between Syria Govt, Kurdish Forces Rage into Third Night

This is Beirut 08/01 22:35 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Damascus European Union Israel Turkey United States

Clashes between Syrian government and Kurdish forces in Aleppo raged into the night Thursday on the third day of fighting, as Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi warned the violence undermined talks with Damascus. Global Response Washington's special envoy to Syria on Thursday issued an "urgent appeal" to the Syrian government and ...

Syria Tells Civilians to Leave Aleppo's Kurdish Areas

This is Beirut 08/01 13:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus Israel Turkey United Nations Syria

Syria's military warned civilians in two besieged Kurdish neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo to leave on Thursday, as it prepared to conduct a fresh wave of strikes targeting Kurdish positions. Thousands have already fled the area following clashes between the army and Kurdish-led forces that have killed more than a dozen people. The violence ...

LAF Completes First Phase of Weapons Plan, Israel Deems Efforts “Insufficient”

This is Beirut 08/01 08:50 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Lebanese Army Israel Lebanon LAF Hezbollah

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) announced on Thursday the official end of the first phase of the weapons control plan, which aimed to bring all weapons south of the Litani River under state control by the end of 2025. According to the statement, the first phase focused on “expanding the Army’s operational presence, securing vital areas, ...

Syria Settles Status of Top Businessman Under Assad

This is Beirut 08/01 08:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Damascus European Union US Treasury USA

Syrian authorities said Wednesday they had reached a settlement with Mohammad Hamsho, a prominent businessman accused of ties to Bashar al-Assad's rule and of profiting from the country's war, their first such announcement since taking power. Two sources told AFP that Hamsho, a former lawmaker, had benefited from links to Qatar, a key ...

Iraq-Based Kurdish Opposition Calls for Strike in Iran

This is Beirut 08/01 08:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Tehran

Several Iraq-based Iranian Kurdish opposition parties have called for a general strike on Thursday in Iran in support of the protests in the Islamic republic, one of the exiled parties told AFP. The protests began on December 28 when shopkeepers in Tehran staged a strike over high prices and economic stagnation, but they have since spread to ...

Iran Police Officer Killed in Stabbing During Unrest Near Tehran: Local Media

This is Beirut 08/01 08:25 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Israel Tehran

An Iranian police officer was killed in a stabbing during unrest near the capital, local media reported on Thursday, as protests over the cost of living in the country entered a 12th day. Shahin Dehghan, a member of the police force in Malard county west of Tehran, "was martyred a few hours ago after being stabbed during efforts to control ...